The Messenger St. Mark s Evangelical Lutheran Church A Heritage of God s Grace Since 1910 June 2017 God s Work, Our Hands ----------------------------------------------------- Back Pack Program Mark your calendars! Our annual Back Pack Program starts Tuesday, June 6 th. This year, we will pack on June 6 th, June 20 th and July 5 th. All times are 6:30 pm. This program provides meals to youth who may not have enough to eat on weekends during the summer. This year food will be distributed at nine locations in Grand Forks/East Grand Forks. These events over the past few years have been a time to share fellowship and at the same time do God s work. As we are reminded in Matthew 25:40 Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. A signup sheet is available in the narthex. See you on the 6 th! Mission Committee Cheryl, Deb, Olive, Miles and Elton
A Message from Pastor Dave Adams WOW! Here we are the end of May of 2017. In so many ways I feel as if I just started serving with you. Yet, our time together at St. Mark s has come to an end, and a new chapter in your life, and in mine, is about to begin. When I came to be with you in September of 2015, I was very excited about what our life together would be like. You have not disappointed me. You have shown me grace, love, support, encouragement, counsel, peace, perseverance in short, you have shown me COMMUNITY! You accompanied me in the final stages of my Seminary experience, and allowed me to learn with you, and through you. You were willing to go along with changes I made in worship, and you came to participate in Bible studies with me. You allowed me to be who I am, and empowered me to be a Christian Public Leader alongside you, trusting my own God-given gifts, and being blessed by yours. As it turns out, I LOVE being a pastor, and I have loved being YOUR pastor. However, I would not have realized this without the experiences I shared with you. Your willingness to accept me into your community has shaped me into the pastor I will be in the future, and I don t think I have enough Thank Yous to fully express my gratitude. I also thank you for the lovely reception you threw for me and my family. The stole which you gifted to me will be worn during the seasons of Pentecost and Epiphany, and whenever I am wearing it, I will continue to feel your supporting hands upon my shoulders, and your encouraging spirit beside me. And, the gift of money will be a tremendous help as we get settled into our new home, and I continue to expand my theological library. Most importantly, however, your friendship will go with me as the best gift you could ever have given. I will make sure to keep you posted on what is happening in my life, and I look forward to seeing where God leads you in YOUR new adventures as the people of St. Mark s Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND. Our Bishop, Terry Brandt, always gives this benediction when he is presiding, and I feel it is appropriate to bless you with as we go our separate ways: As we go on our way, may God go before us to show us the way, behind us to encourage us, beside us to befriend us, above us to watch over us, and within us to give us peace. Amen! Thanks be to God!
Education News Summer Bible Camp: Abiding Memorial will provide half the cost of Bible Camp registration. WELCA will provide an additional $50 towards the registration costs. Abiding Memorials will pay more than 1/2 if a family requests additional funding due to financial need. St. Mark's encourages children to attend bible camp and does not want financial issues to hinder bible camp participation. Local, Lutheran Bible Camps: http://www.parkriverbiblecamp.org/ http://redwillowbiblecamp.org/ If interested, go to Bible Camp websites, print and fill out the registration form and mail or bring the form to the St. Mark's office. Do not include any payment. When you turn in the form, please note if you would like to request additional funding due financial hardship. St. Mark's will issue a check to the camp and return the check and registration to the family. Summer Guitar Lessons Guitar teacher David Hsyjulien has offered to continue guitar lessons to any Sunday School students this summer. He will teach summer lessons at Arioso Music Academy. His contact number is: 701-610-3055 Congratulations!! A special congratulations to the Sunday guitar teacher David Hysjulien who graduated from UND with a degree in Music Education. Every Sunday evening for the past two years, he has taught the Sunday School kids general music and guitar. He has been a pleasure to work with and we wish him the best. VBS Maker Fun Factory: Created By God, Built for a Purpose August 6th 9th 6:00 pm to 8:15 pm Come and be a part of this summer s Vacation Bible School. VBS is for all children who were in preschool 5th grade Registration forms will be available soon. Carnival/Block Party August 10th Red River Valley Community Action Gift Bags A special thank you to all those who have donated hand soap or body wash. During VBS week in August, we will be collecting school items for the 50 gift bags that are designated for children.
Highlights from the May Council Meeting Contributed by Jeanette Gratton +++ New Officers: New council officers were elected: Mile Rodacker, President; Iver Buchmann, Vice President; Michele Peterson, Secretary; and Ann Henderson, Treasurer. +++ Save the Date: The Block Party is scheduled for August 10 th. +++ Abiding Memorial will help cover some repair and maintenance bills. They will also offer scholarships for Bible Camp for kids that are interested. +++ Ann and Tim Henderson will attend the Synod Assembly meeting in Fargo. (HIGHLIGHTS OF EACH COUNCIL MEETING WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THIS NEWSLETTER FOLLOWING THOSE MEETINGS. FULL MINUTES ARE AVAILABLE IN THE CHURCH LIBRARY) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ST MARK S FINANCIAL REPORT - 01/01/17 through 04/30/17 BUDGETED GIVING: $ 60,640.00 04/30/17 YTD GIVING: $ 56,970.00 (2016 YTD Giving $ 48,568.00) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 04/30/17 YTD General Fund Income $ 57,902.00 04/30/17 YTD General Fund Expenses $ 61,530.00 YTD GENERAL FUND Difference ($ 3,628.00) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our Sympathies to the family and friends of Tom Robinson, as they mourn his death. Tom s funeral will be at St. Mark s on Friday, June 2 nd, at 11:00 am. Visitation will be at 10:00 am. Tom and Sandra have been part of the St. Mark s family for many years. Parents of Loss This support group will meet Thursday, June 14 th, at 7:00 pm in the youth room. The Parents of Loss group is for anyone who is experiencing the grief of losing a child or grandchild. Please contact the office if you would like more information. Bethesda Society meets Wednesday, June 14 th, at 2:00 pm at 4000 Valley Square. Men s Group The Men s Group will meet for breakfast on Thursday, June 1 st at 7:00 a.m. at Grama Butterwicks. All men are invited to attend. No registration is required! This is an informal group that meets the first Thursday of each month for food and conversation. You can still make it to work by 8! J.O.Y. will meet Wednesday, June 21 st, at 11:30 am. Mary Sass will speak on her experiences in Germany. (Mary was re-scheduled after we had to cancel JOY in May due to a water main break.)
A Message from Our Congregation President.. Here we are, entering a time that feels very much unknown. We have been so blessed to have Dave here for the past two years and now he s gone on to start his call. We wish nothing but good things for him and for his family. But we now must face uncertainty as to what the next chapter will bring for us at St. Mark s. First, I want you to be assured that the council, the call committee, and the Synod office are doing everything possible to make sure that that chapter is a good one. We want it to happen quickly, of course, but more than that we want it to happen in a way that is best for our future. If that takes some time, then that s what we have to be comfortable with. We are blessed with people who are willing to step in and lead us during the summer months. During this time, I have a few requests for you: 1. Pray daily for all the people involved in the search for a pastor that will be the best fit for the needs and future of our congregation. 2. Attend church on as many Sundays as you can. Support the visiting pastors who are giving of their time and gifts for our sake. And make sure that they feel welcome and appreciated. 3. Continue (or start?) being active in the happenings in our church. Summer tends to be a quiet time, I know, but take the time to find out what s going on and participate. Or better yet, come up with an idea for something new that will be good for the church. 4. Stop in. Stop by and say hi to Sandy and find out if there s anything that you can do. If you re wondering about anything, ask. If you ask Sandy, she ll either answer your question or refer you to me or someone else who can help you. 5. Lastly, if you have any needs, please don t hesitate to tell someone. There are wonderful people willing to step in where a pastor would normally help you. Don t go through things alone just because we are in a transition time. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work to move forward. Let s stay active and enjoy this time which can bring us closer. And have faith that God has a plan for us. Your Council President Miles Rodacker
Board Meeting Minutes May 1, 2017 MEMBERS PRESENT Deb Moon, Sandy McCleary, Marsha Oss, Kathy Sukalski-Johnson, Olive Weber, and Linda Simmons OLD BUSINESS The income from the rummage sale was $1,358.50. May 7 was the reception for Intern Pastor Dave Adams and WELCA served the reception. The Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend event was May 6 starting at 10 a.m. The theme this year was The Promise of Spring and New Life. The food for the brunch consisted of 5 pans of coffee cake, 9 pounds of grapes, 3 orange juice, and coffee. Fifteen UND students came to St. Mark's on Saturday and did the following work during the Big Event. They washed the pews and kneelers, vacuumed the pew pads and kneeler pads, vacuumed carpeting throughout the church, dusted and washed the blinds and washed the windows inside and outside throughout the church, removed the tables and chairs in the fellowship hall and washed the floors, washed all the chairs and put them all back in place and picked up the sticks in the yard. What a cheerful, hard working group! The JOY group furnished a pizza lunch and the group offered prayer before the meal and prayed a blessing on all the people who worship here at St. Mark's. What a wonderful event. NEW BUSINESS The following disbursements were made: $500 designated towards the MaaSae scholarship for a girl attending secondary school in Tanzania $100 to Bethesda $100 to Sunshine House $100 to Red Willow Bible Camp $100 CVIC $100 Northland Rescue Mission $100 Christus Rex Campus Ministry $650 Youth National Convention $50 per-youth attending Bible camp Our next meeting will be on August 28, 2017, at 5:30 p.m. We closed with the Lord s Prayer. Linda Simmons, Secretary
From Your Stewardship Committee - - - Stewardship Nuggets Summer, our annual reward for making it through the long winter, is finally upon us. As residents of the Northern Great Plains, we know how to take full advantage of the warm season s many opportunities for outdoor recreation and much-needed relaxation. Our experiences with nature often bring us closer to God: From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature (Romans 1:20, NLT). But we should also keep in mind that summer is challenging for churches because when more members are away, there is a substantial downturn in giving. One thing to consider to ensure the financial well-being of the church in summer is recurring giving. It s fast and simple to set up, and it s flexible to accommodate your style of giving. If interested, please contact Sandra Buchmann for details. Blessings, and safe travels. The Stewardship Committee, Tom, Mark, Brad, and Patrick ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Bethesda Society will be hosting their Annual Ice Cream Social on Sunday, June 25 th from 2:00-4:00pm at Valley Memorial Homes, 4000 Valley Square, 4000 24the Ave S, Grand Forks. The event is open to the community and a freewill offering will be taken to support Chaplaincy Ministry at VMH. Please plan to come and enjoy an afternoon of cake and ice cream with your family, friends, and neighbors in support of VMH. The Bethesda Society is an auxiliary of Valley Memorial Homes and is celebrating its 103 rd year. J.O.Y. Team Members Needed!! Are you available to help out with J.O.Y? We are looking for people who are willing to work with a small group to help set up for J.O.Y. This would include setting up tables, setting the tables, decorating, etc. Please let the office know if you can help. Sandy McCleary will continue to take care of the meals. Thank you, Sandy! The deadline to submit information for the July newsletter is June 23 rd.
MARK THESE UPCOMING EVENTS ON YOUR CALENDAR: Men s Breakfast Thursday, June 1 st at 7:00 am at Grama Butterwicks Pack food for St. Joseph s Backpack Program June 6 th, 20 th & July 5 th at 6:30 pm Altar Guild Tuesday, June 6 th at 7:00 pm Bethesda Society Wednesday, June 14 th, at 2:00 pm Parents of Loss Wednesday, June 14 th, at 7:00 pm J.O.Y. Wednesday, June 21 st, at 11:30 am Bethesda Ice Cream Social Sunday, June 25 th, 2-4 pm Here is your 2017-2018 St. Mark s Council.. President Miles Rodacker 746-9438 Vice President Iver Buchmann 701-361-6617 Secretary Michele Peterson 701-330-0297 Treasurer Ann Henderson 775-6471 Jeanette Gratton 757-4022 Jerry Bear 701-740-1337 Donna Hubbard 772-1056 Ray Mutcher 218-779-2951 Art Ruud 701-330-2122 Dean Spicer 775-9982 Office Hours: Sunday 8-12, Monday-Thursday 8:30-3:00 Email: stmarkselca@msn.com 701-772-4807 www.stmarksgf.org